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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29007429">Sweet Dreams</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumbleFish14/pseuds/RumbleFish14'>RumbleFish14</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Criminal Minds (US TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bad Dreams, Crushes, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mutual Pining</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 12:07:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,432</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29007429</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/RumbleFish14/pseuds/RumbleFish14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Spencer still has dreams after the Riley Jenkins case is over</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Derek Morgan &amp; Spencer Reid</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>26</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Sweet Dreams</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sweet Dreams</p><p> </p><p>Derek had been listening to it for over an hour, Spencer dreaming. Well, he wasn’t really dreaming, like having the worst night in his entire life, swapping between awful nightmares and crying himself back to that same nightmare. He knew it was just because of the case they just finished, the Riley Jenkins case, which involved but his mother and father. It was normal to have a few dreams about it, but nothing like this. Spencer was tearing himself apart. Spencer was tearing him apart. </p><p>When it first woke him up, Derek had bolted up and ran for Spencer’s bed. He shook him awake, immediately asking what was wrong, only Spencer couldn’t recall what had happened or what he was talking about. He woke up groggy and confused, asking him if he was okay. Derek decided to leave it alone, he smiled, lying by claiming he’d had a bad dream. He ruffled Spencer’s hair and tried to go back to sleep, it worked, until Spencer fell asleep and had yet another nightmare. </p><p>Derek didn’t know what to do about it. He didn’t know how to help him. He couldn’t just sleep through it, not when he was used to Spencer sleeping soundly as he had millions of times before this, but he couldn’t stay awake either because they had to catch an early flight back home in the morning and then stay at the BAU for the regular work day. He needed to be sharp, Spencer did too, that big ol brain needed to sleep and recharge. </p><p>By the clock on the side table, it was just after three in the morning and their plane was set to leave the terminal at seven. That was not enough time for a restful sleep, especially since he couldn’t fall asleep in the first place. That left him staring up at the ceiling, then over at Spencer when he started crying or whimpering again. Only thing last time, Spencer couldn’t stop, it was constant. It was heart wrenching and he couldn’t take it much longer. </p><p>And he didn’t have to, Spencer bolted up out of bed, panting, drying his eyes, looking around confused. Derek sat up, looking right at him so when those brown eyes focused, he’d see him. And he did. Their eyes locked and he could still see the tears in them, the fear, the exhaustion. It was unmistakable.</p><p>“Bad dream?” Derek asked, his voice soft and quiet in the darkened room. </p><p>Spencer nodded. “It won’t stop. I don’t know what to do.”</p><p>“We can talk about it. That helps sometimes.” He offered but Spencer shook his head. He was never one to talk about any of his problems willingly, it always took some poking and prodding for him to open up. “You know I won’t tell anyone.”</p><p>“If Hotch asks, you’ll have to tell him. </p><p>“I’ll just say I don’t know, or it’s none of my business.”</p><p>Spencer smiled tiredly. “That won’t work for long. He knows something is going on.”</p><p>“Something is going on. I thought you’d be okay once we solved the Jenkins case but it seems worse.” Derek didn’t wait for him to argue because he couldn’t, he was right. “Maybe it’s not the case itself, but your father being involved.”</p><p>Spencer just laid back down on his side, his eyes distant, staring at something that wasn’t there. “Maybe.”</p><p>“It’s okay to be angry, Spencer. You don’t have to pretend to be over what he did to you and your mom.” Derek laid down as well, on his side so he could keep looking at him. His eyes closed, squeezing tears out. “I don’t think these dreams will go away until you talk to someone?”</p><p>“You think I need a shrink?”</p><p>Derek shook his head. “I meant someone you trust. Someone who understands where you’re coming from.”</p><p>Spencer looked at him through blurry eyes. “Like you?”</p><p>“Like me, or JJ or Emily. You know we all care about you. You don’t have to do this alone.” </p><p>It took awhile for Spencer to reply and Derek almost assumed he’d just fallen back asleep, but he saw the quake of his narrow shoulders, he was crying again. Those body trembling sobs that you couldn’t stop no matter what you did. Derek sighed heavily, hurting for his friend, for his...crush? Whatever Spencer was to him, which was something serious, even when the kid didn’t realize it. He slipped out of bed, fixed his boxers and moved a few inches to Spencer’s bed. Brown eyes looked up, hurting, lost. </p><p>“Scoot over, pretty boy.” Derek peeled the blanket and the sheet back, trying not to notice that Spencer was dressed like he was, in boxers only.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“You heard me. Move over.” Derek smiled a little as Spencer backed up, sliding towards the wall and left him with more than enough room. “You can’t sleep all alone without crying and you won’t talk about it. So we are going to sleep together, see if that helps.”</p><p>Watery eyes were wide, Spencer was stiff beside him. Unsure what to do. “You can’t sleep here.”</p><p>“Yeah, I can. Trust me, it’ll help knowing you’re not alone.” Derek didn’t turn towards him, that would make it way too intimate and he knew from experience that Spencer would shy away, he always did, especially from him. He laid on his back, eyes up to the ceiling. “I have bad dreams too sometimes. It’s hard to find what’s real, to remember all the bad stuff is over.”</p><p>“Yeah, it is.” Spencer said quietly. He was back on his side, staring at Derek. “You don’t have to do this, Derek. I’ll be fine.”</p><p>“No, you won’t.” Derek finally turned, amazed that Spencer didn’t look away and suddenly they were nose to nose. He rolled on his side, copying Spencer. “You’ve been doing this dance all night. It’s already three in the morning and we have a full work day ahead of us. You need to sleep and so do I.”</p><p>This wasn’t the first time he thought about being in Spencer’s bed. It wasn’t even the millionth time. He just ever expected it to be in this context, with Spencer upset, but again, he didn’t expect it to be in the way he wanted it to be. Spencer was shy, too shy and reserved and it made it hard to cover any ground with him. Derek liked him, he had for years but Spencer just didn’t see it, or wouldn’t. But now they were in bed together, only he was offering comfort only instead of other things. </p><p>“I’m sorry.” Spencer whispered and pushed his face into the pillow. “It won’t happen again.”</p><p>“You don’t need to do that, Spencer. You’re my friend, my family, I’m here to help in any way I can.” His words just made Spencer cry harder, his body shaking once again. Derek moved closer, pushing one arm under the back of his neck while he pulled Spencer against his chest with the other, cradling him. “Whatever this is, we can work through it together.”</p><p>He didn’t expect Spencer to push into his chest, his head almost tucked over his chin, one hand flat against his stomach—it had the potential to be more at a different time, but not now—and he cried softly. Derek wrapped both arms around him and held him tightly, attempting to make him feel safe and secure while he was so vulnerable.  </p><p>“I don’t know what to do.” Spencer sobbed, his voice muffled by the tears and Derek’s chest. “It won’t stop.”</p><p>“Shh, let’s just try this, okay?” Derek reached up to smooth his wild hair back, petting through it soothingly. Within moments Spencer relaxed against him a little. “I’ll help you anyway I can.”</p><p>They both were quiet after that. Spencer worked on trying not to cry again, or fall asleep and Derek made sure to keep himself calm, getting all upset and worked up wouldn’t help and Spencer would feel the change. He wasn’t sure how much time had past, but Spencer wasn’t crying anymore, his shoulders stopped shaking and he was breathing evenly, as if he was asleep. Derek nuzzled into his hair, breathing him down as his own eyes closed. </p><p>“Thank you.” Spencer whispered softly, then kissed his chest, a featherlight touch.</p><p>Derek felt all those emotions rise up, pulling him in different directions. He chose to ignore them and simply smiled, feeling Spencer drift back off to sleep. He smoothed his hair back, then kissed his forehead. “You’re welcome, pretty boy. Sweet dreams.”</p>
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